Mass Collect: Orthopology
by Nobreiner
Summary: *REBOOTED* Being brought into the Mass Effect Universe with the intent of changing the ending is already a difficult task, but one I was confident I could accomplish. Now, if only I could remember why I was here... or if I was human... Actually, this may be harder than I thought. Warning: Contains spoilers for ME3


"Well… that wasn't that bad." I said, watching as the credits rolled by. I sat back, setting the controller down and leaning back against the couch. For those of you just joining us, I had just beaten Mass Effect 3. It had taken a while, I admit, but that was mainly the fault of all those people who told me how bad the ending was. I was actually hesitant to finish it, after what they told me. To be honest though, it wasn't that bad. It could've been better, but I wasn't exactly ready to go burn down the Bioware headquarters. I looked down to the coffee table beside me, sighed, and reached towards it to grab my phone.

One quick dial later and I heard my friend answer, "Hey man, what's up?" I sighed again, pinching the bridge of my nose as I prepared for the incoming shitstorm.

"I beat it." I told him, bracing myself for the approaching tide.

"Oh damn, really? So what'd you think? Did you hate it?" My friend asked, something between anticipation and glee tingeing his voice.

"Actually," I began carefully. "I didn't think it was that bad."

My friend was silent for a moment, before he finally answered, "WHAT!"

"Look, I just didn't see it as that bad." I said quickly before I could be cut off. "It wasn't great, but-"

"You're damn right it wasn't great! It sucked! It ruined the game! HOW can you not hate it?"

"Well, I didn't and I'm actually pretty glad I didn't. Besides, wasn't the rest of the game awesome?"

"Who cares? And what do you mean 'you're glad you didn't'?" He said exasperatedly. "Don't you want to get mad about this?"

"Why would I _want_ to get mad about something?" I said flatly.

"You just don't get it, man. They're all the same! The only difference is the color!" He screamed, as if this was some huge "J'accuse!" moment.

"So?" I asked. "I don't plan on playing it over just to get a different ending, especially if I liked this one, so why should I give a shit if all the endings are the same?"

"I… I…" My friend stammered, in my mind a sign that I had won the argument. Finally, he managed to stutter out, "Whatever man. For both our sakes, let's just drop this."

I sighed. "Alright. See you tomorrow man. Peace."

"Peace." He responded, before hanging up. I did the same, and set my phone down.

"That could've gone better." I said to no one, lifting a hand to rub at my temples.

_**INDEED.**_ I screamed and leapt from my seat, as the voice behind me answered in a deep, resonating boom. Whipping around, I found myself face to… face I guess with, of all things, a Reaper. I screamed, and kept screaming as my living room fell away, leaving only solid blue light behind. I was still screaming when the Reaper suddenly reached down with one of its massive tentacles and, ever so gently, _slapped me_, right in the face. The blow was thankfully soft enough to avoid turning me into a pulp, but is still sent me sprawling. _**CALM DOWN.**_ The Reaper commanded.

To my credit, I stopped screaming, although curling into a ball and bursting into tears was probably a poor substitute. The Reaper gave what sound suspiciously an exasperated sigh before suddenly, it was engulfed in the same blue light as our surroundings, and began to shrink. After a moment, the Reaper had diminished to roughly my size, and took on a shape I recognized quite well.

"Jennifer Hale?" I said, staring in awe at the person standing before me. Said person huffed in irritation before reaching down and grasping me by the collar of my shirt. Yanking me to my feet, the woman then gave me a soft shove to get some distance between us. Her eyes scanned up and down my form, and her lips pursed.

"Definitely rough around the edges, but you'll do." She said, her voice no longer the massive boom it had been before, yet still carrying a strong sense of authority. Her gaze matched my dumbstruck stare, and she continued, "I bet you're wondering why I'm here."

It took me a moment to find my voice, but eventually I choked out, "That's… one of my many questions, yeah." I did my best to sort my jumbled thoughts before adding, "I mean, what are you doing here? Where is 'here' anyway? What the Hell's going on?"

"Well first off, I'm not some human actress. I'm… I _was_ Commander Shepard." She said, frowning slightly at her correction. She continued, "I have come here because I need your help."

"Wait a second." I said, stumbling through my words from shock. "Are you telling me that _Commander Shepard_, Savior of the Galaxy _three times over_ needs my help? And what do you mean 'was'?"

Shepard crossed her arms. "Well, you did see the ending, you chose to control the Reapers. The Shepard you knew was destroyed, and from her, I was created. I took control of the Reapers, and for the last few months I've been using them to help rebuild society." A brief burst of emotion crossed her face, so fast I couldn't make it out, only that it sure as Hell wasn't a happy one.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you need me." I said, eyeing her carefully. "I mean, I'm just a gamer, there are hundreds of others like me, so why not find someone better suited to the job?"

Shepard sighed. "Believe me, I've put some thought into this. You're one of the fraction of people who have not only played all three games, but chose the 'Control' ending was well. Of that, you're one of the very small minority who was satisfied with how it ended and accepted it as truth. Of that small group of people, you are the one I chose to be most suited for my needs."

"But what do you need me to do?" I asked.

Shepard fixed me with a hard stare as she answered, "I need you to stop me from ever taking control of the Reapers."

I stood there, dumbstruck, my jaw working silently as I pondered how to respond to this bombshell. "What?" Good start I guess, but not exactly articulate. Let's try that again. "Why would you want me to do that? You stopped the Reapers, would you prefer that they win? That all sentient life in the Galaxy is destroyed?"

Shepard scowled furiously, and I realized I had crossed a line. "Of course not!" She bellowed. "What the Reapers were doing was evil, and I'd never regret my decision to stop them." She paused, and her expression fell into one of uncertainty and, to my surprise, sadness. "I just… I think I made the wrong choice."

"What do you mean?" I asked, taking an uneasy step towards her. "The Reapers were stopped, and now you control them. It seems like a good solution to me."

Shepard shook her head. "A good solution, but not a perfect one. When I was… born, I suppose, I was given Shepard's memories, her thoughts and feelings. But I was also given the knowledge of countless cycles. Everything the Catalyst knew, I learned. I can't support their decision to use the Reapers, but they were right about one thing. Organics and Synthetics, they will always end up in conflict with each other. I don't know when it will happen, but war will come again, and eventually the only solution, will be the one I swore to prevent. At some point, I will be forced to use the Reapers for their intended purpose." She paused, and I released the breath I hadn't remembered holding. "But there is one solution that would fix everything. If I had never taken control of the Reapers, if instead I had chosen to use the Crucible to bring about Synthesis, then balance will be achieved, and conflict between Organics and Synthetics would be prevented. Forever."

"But, you already made your choice." I reminded her. "You can't change the past. In fact, why don't you just rebuild the Crucible? Activate Synthesis then."

Again, Shepard shook her head in response. "I would need someone, someone with all the qualities that made me eligible to activate the Crucible in the first place. No one like that exists in the Universe, in any Universe, except me."

"Alright, then what can I do? What could I possibly change to make you change your mind?" I asked. Shepard regarded me for a long while, not moving, the only motion being her eyes scanning up and down my form.

Finally, she spoke. "Like I said, you alone fit my needs. I have calculated the variables, run the simulations, and I have produced a solution. Nothing can change, except what I need to in order to bring about Synthesis. By bringing you back, and placing you at my side, I would manipulate my past self enough to make the correct decision."

"So, wait." I said, trying to make sense of this information. "You want to send me into the Mass Effect Universe? To work alongside your past self? How would I know what to do, what to change?" Shepard smiled, something incomprehensible flashing in her emerald eyes.

"As I said, I have considered every possibility. I know you, I have predicted what you will and will not choose to change. Your actions are exactly what must be done in order to bring about Synthesis. All you have to do is follow your instincts."

I remained silent for a long while. I thought about every result that going along with decision could bring about. From the sound of it, I was not only the perfect man for the job; I was the _only_ man for the job. But one thought intruded upon my thoughts. "What about my life here?" I asked.

Shepard frowned in response. "It would be forfeit. You will be gone from this Universe."

I looked down at the ground, shaking my head softly. "I don't know if I could do that. It would hurt everyone I know, for me to just up and leave without any trace I was gone."

Shepard stepped forward and laid a hand on my shoulder. I looked up to meet her gaze. "There is one alternative." She said. "I have the power to make you disappear. Anyone you ever knew, anyone you have ever made contact with, would forget about you, along with any physical trace you had ever existed. They would feel no loss, and would be able to move on with their lives. However, that means that should you ever return here, you would remain forgotten. Once I take their memories I cannot return them. You will be forgotten here forever."

I considered this offer. It would be good to know that no one would worry about me, but to be forgotten like that… "I'm not sure." I said uncertainly. "Does Synthesis really need to occur? Is there no other way?"

Shepard sighed. "I understand the choice is difficult, but you must realize that if you do this, it will save countless lives. Without your intervention, the cycles may begin again. Only you can prevent that from occurring."

As Shepard said these words, I thought back to the image of the Reapers, annihilating countless innocent lives, and imagined if that had been real, not just a cinematic on a TV screen. "I'll do it." I said determinedly.

Shepard smiled. "Thank you. Now, I will send you back, when you get there, you will forget this conversation has ever occurred. You will have an objective, but the means to accomplish it will be up to you. I will not be able to interfere once you are in my past."

I nodded. "I understand. Is there anything else?"

Shepard's expression fell, and she looked away from me, refusing to meet my gaze. "There is one more matter. I had to find a way for you to assist Shepard, a way that would allow no one to impede your efforts. I found one, but you may not like the result. Nevertheless, if you follow your heart, you will surely succeed. Prepare yourself." With that, Shepard's form was once again engulfed by light, quickly transforming her back into the image of a Reaper. The plating around its "eye" shifted open, and brilliant blue energy began collecting around its center.

My mind shifted into overdrive. "Wait! What do you mean-" My words were cut off as the laser fired, and I was engulfed in sapphire light.

Author's Note: Alright! The Prologue is a go! So what do you think so far? I tried to make Reaper-Shepard's reasoning for sending me back make sense, and I think I did a pretty good job of it. I'm already working on the next chapter, so it should be up soon (It will also be notably longer, this is the prologue after all). Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one!


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